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sweet I'm SOF

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Posts posted by sweet I'm SOF

  1. Guys, we need to get rid of Tops In Blue a LONG, LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG time before we should worry about generals and their aides*.

    TIB just breezed through Misawa. AFN saw a "blockbuster event," but all I saw (metaphorically, as I didn't attend) was 35 airmen not doing their primary duties. Surprise surprise...no operators. Recommend a total TIB disband to make room for USO acts we actually want to see, like country musicians and hooters girls.

    At least the folks working for flag officers are actually enhancing their efficiency. If I were a 4-star (HA!) and had to host dinner parties at home, there's no way my wifey would be cool making appetizers and drinks for "socialites" like Jill Kelley.

    *

    The Tops in Blue horse has been kicked to near death in another thread, but I have a reply to your post. I held your sentiment towards them once. I made it to several of their performances though, and even though back then if surrounded by my buds I would say they probably need to go, I enjoyed their performances and I noticed that a lot of people turned out for their shows, when they didn't have to. Over the course of the years I saw a few shows from TIB, who were performing when nobody else showed up, including your country singers. I haven't left one of their shows in the past few years thinking that we need to get rid of them. They are expensive, so there is an argument, akin to the GO's leaf rakers. You are a country singer guy. Some are rock and roll guys. Some are R&B guys, and some are rap guys. TIB deliberately incorporates all of those genres, and they go to where the troops are. That means something. Every rated officer in the USAF between the ranks of Lt to Lt Col will say that TIB needs to be axed, if they are around their buds. But at the end of the day, I've seen an awful lot of those folks at the TIB shows when they did not have to be there. If TIB's intent is to do good by increasing morale...for the operators who's intent is to do good by achieving the commander's intent...it starts looking like a team effort. The world does not evolve around you and your contribution to the mission. I am old. I believe only time will get you to that perspective. Now, if you despise the Tops in Blue because they do not offer you anything, fair enough. But that is your isolated opinion, on par with the fact that you like country music.

  2. One of the points of the article is that civilian SES types don't get anywhere near the same amount of perks as uniformed flag officers, despite them performing roughly on the same level (I think it's fair to say that the SECDEF and CJCS are roughly equivalent as far as workload, not to mention that the CJCS ostensibly works for the SECDEF.) If those perks are essential to operating effectively and efficiently as you claim, then SES types like the SECDEF should get them. Since Bob Gates was able to fill the post of SECDEF effectively without some of them (obviously secure government airlift is a legitimate requirement, but he didn't have a household staff for example), I don't understand why it was essential for Mike Mullen to have all of them to do a roughly equivalent job just because he wore a uniform instead of a suit to work.

    I'm not sure that the SECDEF is SES.

  3. Strangely enough, many combat achievements aren't printed in commercially-available books. Many times those MISREPs are, sorta, you know, classified and stuff.

    I think you are starting to see what I'm getting at. Or maybe that was an accident and you have no clue about what I am getting at.

    If it is classified, it probably does not need to be discussed in an internet forum. If it was a significant event, such as a C-model strafing ground targets, and it is not classified - seems to me there would be a way to confirm that event, or at least one occasion of the event if it occured several times, other than some emotional dudes in an internet forum expressing anger because someone dared question their story.

  4. Good. So go look it up yourself. I have no responsibility to look shit up for you. This is the ######ing internet.

    Now go away and don't come back until you've found it. It's out there.

    I think I already posted several times, that I cannot find anything. Danny Noonin, can you find anything regarding the C model strafing on the internet or in any other form of documentation? If you do not want to take responsibility for substantiating a claim, fair enough - don't make the claim. Am I missing something here Danny Noonin?

  5. Oh, you've "asked around" and no one you asked can confirm something that happened 20 ######ing years ago? No shit?

    You might want to forgive a few people if they give less credibility to your connections than they do to Ol Patch's "story" based on his knowing the guys and giving his fellow weapons officer shit for getting beat on the range by his wingman.

    LOL, the gospel of medal citations. You're funny.

    Craniums up inspector, a lot of stuff that actually happens in combat doesn't make into medal citations. Almost as much stuff as what doesn't actually happen but does make it into medal citations. Almost as much.

    Nothing ruins a good war story like an eye witness...and the best war stories typically don't make it into a medal citation.

    If I ask around or research, I can get documented confirmation of things that happened in the Civil War. 20 years ago isn't that long ago - shouldn't be that much of a challenge.

    The citation was an example. I have no clue what the rest of your rant meant.

  6. Standby for sweet I'm SOF to roll in and ask for a published source to back this up.

    On cue. A good story from OL Patch, as was the last one about C models strafing. I've asked around - nobody seems to have heard of this except through rumint lore. A documented source would be advantageous to all. There is a documented source about an E model strafing at Robert's Ridge- it is in a guy's Silver Star citation. Not the NYT, but when that guy's buds start telling the tale, it is a bit more credible when there is something in writing to back it up. Apparently I am the first person on this forum to ask for a source other than "my buddy said" or "I said."

    The principle is bigger than whether or not C models strafed in DS. If you are going to make a claim, you have a couple of options. One of them is to rest on your rank/experience and hope that it carries you. You are taking a chance, because your rank and experience might not carry as much weight as you think, depending on your audience. I'm not referring to an internet audience, I'm referring to folks in your unit that you have to face the next day. Another option is to back up your claim with documentation.....especially when asked to do so. If you cannot pull that off, in this day and age of google - if you cannot back up a claim, it is likely less than gospel. Unfortunately, your rank and experience will not pull you out of that quandary.

  7. If you didn't hear about it, it couldn't have happened.

    (are you my wife?)

    As it turns out, I'm not your wife. And for that I am thankful. Was looking for a source to Danny Noonin's assertion. Was that your attempt at a source? That was not was I was looking for.

  8. A friend of mine once spent an entire year taking leave every Friday. The kicker was that he used the "half-day day-prior" thing to start his leave every Thursday at noon. 3.5 day work-weeks are where it's at.

    Multiply that technique times every flyer in your squadron. I've seen a lot of spears thrown in here at support functions because they do not work full duty days and weeks. You are advocating 3.5 day work weeks. If everyone in your squadron did that, where would that leave the squadron? Monday through Thursday at noon. Forget whatever training we needed to accomplish on Thursday afternoon and Friday - we are entitled to those days off according to your buddy's logic.

    It is that attitude that gives aircrew a bad name - because you blatently bash the support side of the AF for having restricted hours. The support side is not taking every 1.5 days off per week for leave. They are training during those hours that the doors are not open to customers. Think of it as time in the vault for you. They did not learn everything there is to know in tech school, just as you did not learn everything you needed to know in pilot training - they have to continue to train. Frustrating, yes. But when you complain about the support customer service hours and then blatently advertise the tales of "heroes" who take leave every Thursday afternoon until Monday - you are not in an improved position from the support folks' perspective. Your logic here has deteriorated.

    To expand this further, your support troops deploy. And they build up leave. What if they followed our buddy's policy? You see where I'm going here yes?

    Help your squadron out. Don't take every Thursday afternoon through Monday off. That is unsat - I cannot believe a squadron commander would put up with that. Manage your leave a little more reasonably than that nonsense. As someone posted before, the squadron will go on when you are not there, so take your leave. But whatever you do, multiply your action by the number of folks in your squadron...hopefully that will help you make a prudent decision. If your action multiplied by everyone in the unit would close the doors - you should probably rethink your action.

  9. C-models strafed (and successfully blew shit up) in WW-Storm. It was a pick up game but it happened. There are lots of good reasons to get serious about strafing in the Mighty Mighty. But anything to do with slow moving aircraft (did you really say that?) is not even remotely why.

    Interesting. That is the first time I have ever heard that light grays strafed in DS. Actually, it is the first time I've heard that they fired the gun period in DS. Source?

  10. Folks, can anyone help me out with a list of pubs, flashcards, checklists and the like that will help me succeed at UPT? I have been an Army Aviator since 2002 and will surely have to "unlearn" as much as I will have to learn. The rote memorization required in Army flight school was obscene and I can only expect that the Air Force school will be a lot of the same. Anything I can start to study ahead of time I'm sure will be better than showing up cold. Thanks!

    Paul

    Someone previously alluded to this, so apparently it is still an option these days: go to a KINKOs or other print shop near the UPT base and ask for the UPT gouge. They will have a stash. In my experience, they had a stack of gouge about 3 feet high. When I showed up I did not know that the boldface and local area procedures and graphics were what I really needed, so I emptied my wallet and bought the whole stash. I'm glad I did it though, it was better than not having anything. In that stash were sample EP tests, EP scenarios, GK tests, flight profiles, and even a fold-out of a T-37 and T-38 dash.

    I think if you go into UPT with the attitude that you have now, you will be good to go. I did not think flight screening or UPT was easy. You are ahead of the game with your prior experience, keep the attitude you have now. We had a dude in our class who was prior Navy and claimed that he washed out of carrier landing training or something. I'm not sure how he ended up in UPT - if I remember correctly he was going to fly tankers in the guard. He told the class on day one that he was probably going to do better than the rest of us because of his Navy flying experience, and we should not be jealous of the fact that he would not have to study as much as the rest of us. He was gone after the contact checkride.

  11. C'mon, you can't ignore the call outs and still post like nothing's happened. You demanded to know about Rainman, you got it. Fess up.

    Anyone else interested in the kid's status? I guess not.

    Slackline - do you think I'm dumb enough to post info about myself on an internet forum? Show me one post where someone told me who they are and what their qualifications are. Before you go screwing up your answer, I said show me one post where someone told me who they are and what their qualifications are. I did not say show me a dozen posts by internet followers of an internet messiah, claiming that this person is this and that, but have never met him.

    My intent is not to prove to an internet forum who I am or am not. If that is your intent, I can see why you are frustrated. You can read what I type, and figure out if you agree or if you think it is garbage. That's what I am doing when I read your posts. I can look at your current post, compare that with previous posts if necessary, and make a judgment call on whether what you are typing is, in my opinion, good or garbage. I do not need your resume.

  12. A-10 WIC IP, retired O-5 within the last couple years. Opening shots of OIF and OEF vet. Extremely well known with lots of cred in the A-10 community before he retired.

    He's world renowned in the Hog community, even now after he's gone. Not personally met him (I'm a Strike Eagle guy -- we don't run in overlapping circles), but plenty of squadronmates of mine during two different assignments and whose opinions I highly trust, who also flew Hogs with him, have enormous respect for him. I've spoken to him several times when he was still on AD about some common experiences we had during Shock and Awe. He's definitely a real person with real-world combat airpower experience (the kind that involves killing people and getting shot back at), technical and tactical credibility, and leadership experience.

    Go ahead with your quals now -- otherwise, can it.

    A retired 0-5? This is who you worship? The internet is a wonderful thing. Hacker, you probably shouldn't have posted that. There are several books about shithot retired 0-5s, I had to read some of them. As you can imagine, those folks aren't being worshiped on an internet forum. This cat isn't one of those in the books. Go sample a few of his thousands of posts, where he claims to know everything about everything. Let me reiterate that...thousands of posts. On an internet forum. A retired 0-5. You've been had.

    I would not call this one out if he did not chime in with a response to everything I type. I never offered a response to anything he typed unless he directly responded to me, because frankly, he did not type much of anything relevant. If what you typed about him is true - that he is a retired 0-5, he shouldn't be typing very much in a forum frequented by active aircrew.

    I guess you'll need to craft a response, as will he, as will his followers. This is entertaining. And revealing. I can understand the sentiments of the posters who call me an idiot. If Rainman is your guy, hell, I'd call me an idiot too, there is no thermometer with enough degrees of separation between that dude and myself. Someone posted on here that commanders converse with retirees for advice. They seek advice from the thousands of retired Lt Cols? Come on guys. Some retired 0-5s say that commanders seek their advice, I've even seen some of them try to aggressively inject themselves into a young commander's unit. And clearly, some of them live on an internet forum, perpetuating their wisdom to the unsuspecting, no matter how dated or irrelevant.

    What a shame.

  13. It's ALFA:

    ALO

    LIFT (Lead in Fighter Training, now call IFF)

    FAC (for anyone that doesn't know what FAC stands for, choke yourself!)

    ATC (Air Training Command, now AETC)

    Are you saying that Senior Leaders don't consult?

    Every exercise I played in on the ROK (every other month), the CFACC had a Senior Mentor, a retired old guy who had "been there and done that" by sitting in that same chair 6-9 days ago.

    I know, because I briefed the two of them, every single day during the MAAP brief.

    The active duty guy is most definetly the one that has to make the decision, but if you don't think they are consulting retired guys, you are smoking crack!

    Cheers,

    Cap-10

    A senior mentor is generally a retired 3 star.

    Some people tend to over estimate the anonymity afforded by this forum. The flying world is far too small to blend in. Plenty of people here know me that I know of, and I bet quite a few more know without letting on. Needless to say, showing your ass on this forum is probably a REALLY bad call.

    Some people tend to over estimate the anonymity afforded by this forum. The flying world is far too small to blend in. Plenty of people here know me that I know of, and I bet quite a few more know without letting on. Needless to say, showing your ass on this forum is probably a REALLY bad call.

    Thank you for the redundancy. Your point?

    • Upvote 1
  14. The difference between Rainman and you is, we actually know who Rainman is. Some of us knew him (or knew of him -- the fighter world is a small place) on active duty, and our respect for him and his information (or, even our disagreement with him, depending on who you are) is earned based on his real world experience and reputation. He's not some old internet phantom who is talking about how things were when Carter was in office.

    Until you step out of the shadows, none of us can say the same about you -- especially based on some of the things you've said on this forum since joining.

    Tell me what his real world experience is. Otherwise, I would say that he is just as much in the shadows as any other anonymous internet poster. When you say, you actually know who Rainman is, do you mean that you have met him? If the answer to that is "no," then that is a ridiculous argument that you just made. Did you meet him or are you saying that you know someone who met him? I would like to hear about his real world experiences.

  15. But they consult. The fact that you don't know what really happens convinces me I am correct in assuming you are an angry Sarge.

    The first sentence there confirms what I suspected. You are one of those guys. That is a shame. You will undoubtedly receive all of the "consulting" business that you desire here on this forum. Too bad you cannot charge for it. Or maybe you do, it appears that some on here would gladly empty their wallets to read your sage, current, and not at all vague advice.

    Total lack of SA on jumping to the conclusion that I am enlisted, not rated, not in command because you do not agree with what I post. However, it is difficult to determine if you really believe that I am a Shirt in the Army, or if that is just rhetoric in an attempt to keep your internet following. Your responses could use some work. Surely someone with 5K forum posts on the internet would comprehend that you are understanding about 50% of what someone types. There is no contextual filler that would occur face to face or even on the phone. Hence, why leadership by email is seldom effective. This all seems lost on you when you reply to my posts.

    People on here say that they know you. I do not. If you in fact retired from active duty, thank you for your service. I do not need your explanation of the mission. You have an internet forum here, so go to town with your "consulting" if it is that important to you. In the meantime, I do not think you will be anywhere near where the "Army First Sergeants" are conducting the mission, so no worries.

    Finally, you might want to check the name calling and cursing at people on an internet forum. You know, for the sake of keeping your consulting credibility viable.

  16. "Execute the mission"...Cool. Sounds like you are probably pretty important. And tough. The hard nosed steely eyed mission executor kind of tough, which I freely admit is impressive to old retired guys like me.

    So anyway Sarge, can you explain to me how that has the square root of ###### all to do with this discussion or how that is relevant to the topic at hand?

    Rest assured, you are totally safe to assume that, Sarge.

    Help me out here, are you implying that you are in command of a combat unit at some echelon? I only ask because it seems like you are more of an NCO kind of guy by the way you talk.

    At some echelon? Who talks like that, anyway, Sarge?

    Again, relevance to this discussion?

    LOL

    Again, who cares right? Not sure why you want to get into a dick measuring contest about who commanded what and who killed the most people when we're talking about this ######ed up situation wrt promotion boards passing aviators over for promotion before they even become full up MR contributor toward your vital combat mission.

    So...relevance?

    BTW, there are some connections to the topic and your ability to "execute the mission." You would definintely know what they were if you were a commander of a combat fighter unit "at any echelon."

    The fact that you cannot seem to make those connections is why you are getting so much push back on your comments, Sarge.

    :beer:

    I guess the relevance is, is that I was not getting into a dick measuring contest, I was providing a correct vector. Who said anything about who killed the most people? To quote you, are you drunk or something? Additionally, the relevance is, you are not active duty, you are retired. Commanders do not defer to retirees to make decisions. Retirees are not responsible for command authority. If you are arguing that, I assert that you are doing damage on an internet forum where young officers and enlisted log in to seek advice - however perilous that might be. If your intent is to attempt to persuade USAF officers on an internet forum as a retiree by taking advantage of their lack of experience and building yourself up into some kind of relevant actor based on your dated experience, we have a problem.

  17. The point is not that these lieutenants were missing training reports (though some undoubtedly were; different topic). The point is that, due to the realities of the training pipeline and the way training reports in lieu of OPRs work, many newly-minted aviators simply don't have an OPR by the time they meet their O-3 board*. The board evidently treated a lack of an OPR as a "missing" OPR, without looking at all for a reason. Huge foul. Huge waste, as Rainman said--and inexcusable.

    *the existence of such a board is ridiculous; again, different topic

    EDIT: Clarity

    I think the kid had a missing training report according to his posts. He needs to have his records squared away. He does not need to be coddled. His supervisor should have taken the time to ensure that his subordinate's records are good to go. If his supervisor cannot cut that, he needs to go. All of the excuses on an internet forum, unfortunately, do not keep you from being passed over or force shaped. It is more than being good in the jet. It is certainly more than wanting to be left alone and not being "cheifed." Take care of your people.

  18. I'm curious as to what mission that is. It seems you have a great deal of time on your hands since you argue with virtually anything and everything anyone says on here...

    I have 40 posts. Including this one.

    We can only hope you aren't in command of anything either. Good god man how naive/low SA do you have to have to call Rainman a retired guy that knows nothing? I may be just a dumb LT but even I'm smart enough to know just cause he isn't in anymore doesn't mean he forgot everything and from what I gather he has many friends who are still AD.

    There are a thousand Rainmans. You've made the mistake of believing everything you read on the internet....literally, real time. You are an Lt, and you have room and time to grow. You need a couple of decades to get there though. Retirees, while sometimes welcomed at functions...do not run the military. Maybe an internet forum, but not the military. If you are a flyer, you had better be in the vault. And you had better understand what the threat is and how to counter. That changes daily. A retiree does not have SA on that, no matter how much he or she has or has not forgotten. You seem to be going off track here. That worries me.

  19. Nope. You are. The very simple.

    You don't know that.

    Thousands? Really? For an O-3 board? Right.

    Get a clue. The context of the conversation is Lt pilots getting passed over coming right out of FTU. Whatever queep they have that is not squared away is grossly overshadowed by their significant accomplishments. Those accomplishments automatically put them in a top 5% grouping which means an auto-promote by exception to O-3 so the nation can get some return for the allocation of her treasure.

    No shit. That is both the point and the ######ing problem. Welcome to yesterday, Sarge.

    You are retired, I am not. You do not have to execute the mission, I do. I think I can safely assume that you are not currently in command of a combat unit at any echelon. You might have been in command, but not now. And a warm welcome to yesterday to you, internet poster.

  20. Why can't the base commander say "don't wear revealing clothing" instead of "BAHHH THE SKY IS FALLING EVERYONE IN PT UNIFORM" if the embassy complaint in your example really happened?

    edit: spelling is hard

    The base commander did say that, every time. And it didn't work. SrA Yummybritches wore revealing clothing because her leadership wanted three beers per day and to be left alone and did not care what she wore, and did not understand the waterfall effect of his piss poor leadership. And so we find ourselves in the sky is falling scenario that you describe. And we blame the shoes and the base commanders and the host nation. It could have been avoided.

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